Ponton-bridge



PONTON BRIDGE.

Patented May 6, 1890.

Fmm

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

SYLVESTER N. STEIVART, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PONTON-BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,446, dated May 6, 1890.

Application filed February 8, 1890- gerial No. 339,637. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYLVESTER N. STEW- ART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ponton-Bridges,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ponton-bridges; and it consists in a novel construction of the devices for actuating and controlling the drawsection, and in a novel arrangement of cables for holding in place the causeways to which the draw is attached.

In the drawings, Figure 1,is a plan view of my lmproved apparatus, showing the draw closed; Fig. 2, a similar view showing the draw opened, and Fig. 3 a view illustrating a slight modification.

A 13 indicate the causeway-section, and O the draw or draw-section beveled at its ends and hinged or pivoted at one end to the causeway-section B. At its opposite end the draw 0 is provided with a lug a, to be engaged by a hook or catch b on the section A; or this arrangement may be reversed and the hook or catch secured to the draw.

D indicates a cable or rope secured at its ends to the shore in any suitable manner, upstream or above the bridge, and E E indicate guy-ropes or cables extending from the cable D to the causeway-sections A 13 near their outer ends, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The cable D may be suspended above the surface of the water or arranged to lie on the bottom of the stream.

F indicates What I term a fin-boat, which is connected with the draw 0 by means of a rope, cable, or connection G. In the preferred arrangement this rope, cable, or connection G extends from the front end of the fin-boat F to a wheel or sheave c on the causeway B, thence to a pulley-block (Z, carried by or suspended from the cable D, and thence to the free end of the draw'. Boat F is provided on its sides with hinged or pivoted fins or wings e e, which are designed to be brought into a position at right angles to the boat or to fold against the sides thereof, this movement being effected by means of a Windlass or windlassesf and connections g, substantially as in my application, Serial No. 334,035. When the draw 0 is closed, as in Fig. 1, the boat F, with its fins or wings e trailing in the direc tion of the current, will be at some distance below the bridge; but should it be desired to open the draw the hook I) is released, when the current, acting upon the broad side of the draw, will swing the latter around to the position shown in Fig. 2. In thus swinging open the fin-boat is drawn up close to the causeway-section B. Now, should it be desired to close the draw, the operator brings the fins or wings e 6 into a position at right angles to the body of the boat and to the current,as shown in Fig. 2, when the current, acting upon the fins or wings, carries the boat downstream. As the boat thus moves away from the bridge, the. draw, by reason of its connection with the boat by cable G, is caused to swing into a closed position, and when the draw is fastened in its closed position the fins or wings are relaxed and allowed to trail with the current.

Instead of carrying the cable G from the causewaysection B to cable I), it may pass about two pulleys or wheels h h on the section A, as shown in Fig. 3; but this plan is not as desirable an arrangement as that illus trated in Figs. 1 and 2, for the reason that when the draw is open the connection G will extend across the opening and tend to obstruct navigation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is.-

1. In combination with causewaysections A B and pivoted or hinged draw G, a fin-boat F, connected therewith by means of a cable or connection G.

2. In combination with causeway-sections A B and a hinged or pivoted section or draw C, a fin-boat F, located on the downstream side of the bridge, and a connection G, extending from the boat to the upstream side of the draw, with which it is connected.

3. In combination with causeway-sections A B and a hinged or pivoted section or draw 0, a fin-boat, and a cable or connection extending from the draw to the fin-boat and passing about an intermediate sheave or pulley.

4. In combination with sections A B and draw 0, cable D, provided with sheave or pulley d, tin-boat F, and connection G, se-

cured at opposite ends to the boat and draw and passing about the pulley d and about a In Witness whereof I hereunto set my hand pulley c 011 the causeway B. in the presence of two Witnesses.

5. A boat F, provided with bingecl 01: piv- SYLVESTER STEVART oted fins e e, cables 9 g, and a wlncllass f. 5 6. In combination with causeway-sections Witnesses:

A B and cable D, cables E, extending from I. L. HUTOHINSON, the cable D to the sections A B. J. F. KRLAUSER. 

